WEST VIRGINIA FILM OFFICE

West Virginia Film Office

Email Blast

May 27, 2004

CONTENTS

A. Acknowledgements

B. West Virginia Film Office Updates & News

C. West Virginia Indigenous Production Activity

D. [intentionally left blank for this edition]

E. Articles of Interest, Websites of Interest, Other Useful Resources

F. Film Festivals and/or Script Submissions

G. Calendar of Events

H. Contact Info, Disclaimer, Subscribe/Unsubscribe

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A. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

1. The West Virginia Film Office is the recipient of two prestigious marketing awards, which were bestowed by a panel of industry judges during the recent Locations Expo in Santa Monica, California (April 16-19), sponsored by the Association of Film Commissioners International. The WV Film Office submitted entries in 2 categories (of 14): (a) logo and (b) full color advertisement less than full page. Both entries earned First Place! The branding logo was designed by the Division of Tourism's graphic designer, Barry Wooldridge, and the ad was designed by Charles Ryan Associates (the ad appeared in the January 23 edition of Variety). The Film Office extends its thanks to the designers of these marketing pieces for enhancing the positive image of the State of West Virginia in the motion picture and television industries.

2. Congratulations to West Virginia filmmaker Daniel Boyd and his crew from Paradise Film Institute for earning a prestigious Telly Award for the documentary "Red Salt & Reynolds". "Red Salt & Reynolds," which premiered in September at The Clay Center (Charleston), tells the history of the salt industry in the Kanawha Valley through an Army Corps of Engineers archeological dig on land formerly owned by the Reynolds family. West Virginia native and actor David Selby narrated the documentary. The Telly Awards honor local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs as well as film and video productions. More than 10,000 entries are received annually from all 50 states and many foreign countries. The documentary is available in DVD or VHS format for $10, plus $3 shipping, from West Virginia Archeological Society, P.O. Box 300, Hurricane, WV 25526.

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B. WEST VIRGINIA FILM OFFICE UPDATES & NEWS:

1. Media/Marketing/Advertising Efforts: Placed half-page advertisement in June 2004 issue of Production Update magazine, which provides a focus on Extreme Photography. West Virginia's extreme sports and locations highlight the ad.

2. Community/Industry Relations: Co-sponsor of inaugural Appalachian Film Festival in Huntington on June 3-5 (for event details, see Section G below). Co-sponsor of filmmaking workshops in Sutton with host West Virginia Filmmakers Guild on June 5 and 6 (for event details, see Section G below). Participated in conference of economic development reps and music industry reps (southern West Virginia region) in Charleston to brainstorm about attracting publishers, recording studios, and major/minor recording labels. Participated in "town meetings" in 7 regions of the state for the Division of Tourism's push to help the industry understand the latest changes to marketing grants (Chris Ellis, Matt Turner, and Tony O'Leary appeared at these events on behalf of the Film Office Director).

3. Production Activity by Outside Companies: The Film Office provided assistance to the following recent productions, which shot (or will shoot) on location in West Virginia:

(a) Nickelodeon will arrive in Charleston next week to shoot two segments for promotional spots titled "School's Out". Two West Virginia schools are being utilized for the segments. Charleston was among 20 cities around the nation chosen for this promotion about "The Last Days of School".

(b) Warner Bros. TV in association with Pepsi Smash has hired numerous West Virginia crew to work on the May 30 Kid Rock rock concert at the Charleston Civic Center. When at liberty to divulge, additional information will be disseminated post-concert with complete details.

(c) Discovery Kids shot a segment on the Mothman in Point Pleasant for its series "Mystery Hunters" (air date yet to be determined). West Virginia crew was hired for the production.

(d) Evening Star Productions shot B-roll footage in the Harpers Ferry region for the highly anticipated documentary "The Appalachians", directed by Mari-Lynn Evans.

Other productions that shot (or will shoot) on location in West Virginia for which my office was made aware:

(a) On June 22, The Speed Channel will film five-time AMA motorcycle champion Chris Carr at the Elkhorn Inn & Gillum House "Biker B&B Ride" for the channel's "2-Wheel Tuesday" series. Carr will ride north to south between the Gillum House B&B in Shinnston and the Elkhorn Inn in Landgraff.

4. Miscellaneous News:

(a) Watch your June 2 local listings for The Learning Channel's airing of its series "Second Chance", which shot segments in the Bluefield (Mercer County) region. TLC utilized West Virginia crew!

(b) On May 22, "America's Most Wanted" featured a segment on a fugitive captured in West Virginia and hired Charleston's "Image Associates" for the shoot.

(c) Watch your July 10 and July 16 local listings for The Food Network's airing of its series "The Best Of". The segment for this episode was shot last September at Smokey's on the Gorge at Class VI in Fayetteville.

(d) Beckley native Morgan Spurlock's "Super Size Me" is finding success in theaters. In its first three weekends of release -- as it expanded from 41 to 148 theaters -- it has climbed from 20th place to the No. 10 spot on the weekly charts, and it has grossed more than $3.2 million to date!

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C. WEST VIRGINIA INDIGENOUS PRODUCTION ACTIVITY (This section will include only information about production activity from the state's indigenous filmmakers and videographers and will also include casting calls for WV productions. The Film Office cannot possibly follow all indigenous production activity across the state; this is where you can assist in passing along information. The Film Office will consider only information which can be confirmed by a producer or director of a film/video project. If you are passing on second-hand info, please include an appropriate contact for the project.):

1. Paradise Film Institute: Daniel Boyd and Paradise Film Institute are wrapping up the latest documentary funded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The documentary, "Ghosts of Green Bottom: Life on A 19th Century Plantation", shot B-roll footage in Lewisburg last weekend, with plans to travel to the Eastern Panhandle the weekend of June 4-6 for additional B-roll footage.

2. Walkabout Productions: Walkabout Productions in Wheeling has been busy on the following productions: (a) 30-minute documentary on the Cameron Municipal Swimming Pool; (b) 20-minute heritage tourism video to promote the Historic National Road (West Virginia's All American Road) for the Wheeling CVB and National Road Alliance; (c) a series of "science all around" segments with West Liberty State College promoting student involvement with science, technology, and nature; (d) received the contract to produce a 45-minute audio walking tour of historic Morgantown; (e) received the contract from the National Road Association of Illinois to develop video and photo archive of historic and cultural sites on DVD and produce a resource on CD; and (f) a 30-minute dramatic program in cooperation with the U.S. Attorney's Office in WV and the WV Coalition Against Domestic Violence, with audience focus on WV high schools, which will be submitted as a demonstration project to the U.S. Department of Justice.

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D. NATIONWIDE CASTING CALLS/AUDITIONS:

[intentionally left blank for this edition]

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E. ARTICLES OF INTEREST, WEBSITES OF INTEREST, OTHER USEFUL RESOURCES:

1. SAGIndie has launched SAGIndie Casting, a free web-based casting resource for actors and filmmakers. SAGIndie Casting allows filmmakers direct access to professional actors looking to work on quality, low-budget films. For details, visit www.sagindie.org.

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F. FILM FESTIVAL AND/OR SCRIPT SUBMISSIONS:

1. American Conservation Film Festival (Shepherdstown, WV): The ACFF is now accepting submissions for its 2nd Annual film festival until the July 31, 2004 deadline (festival is held in November). Submissions must address some aspect of conservation and the personal understanding of the natural world. For submission details, visit www.conservationfilm.org.

2. Sonic Pictures (Pittsburgh, PA): Sonic Pictures is currently accepting independent film submissions of all genres and lengths for a brand new film critic show. For details, call 412-673-1000, or visit www.sonicpictures.com, or write to Sonic Pictures, Studio 2, 7 Allegheny Square, Pittsburgh, PA 15045.

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G. CALENDAR OF EVENTS (generally, WV activities) [please send in events from around the state for consideration]:

1. Appalachian Film Festival (Huntington, WV): In its inaugural year, the Appalachian Film Festival kicks of Thursday, June 3 and runs through Saturday, June 5. The festival provides a focus on the 13-state Appalachian region. The West Virginia Film Office is a sponsor of this event. For schedule details and activities, visit www.appyfilmfest.com.

2. Filmmaking Workshops (Sutton, WV): The West Virginia Filmmakers Guild is hosting a trio of educational workshops to be held in Sutton (Braxton County) on June 5 and 6 at the Landmark Studio for the Arts (4th and Main Streets). Three professional guest artists will present the workshops, and there will be opportunities for WV filmmakers to screen works-in-progress or completed film/video projects and receive feedback from their peers. Students are encouraged to participate in the screenings and workshops. The West Virginia Film Office is a sponsor of the workshops. For details, contact Landmark Studio president Kevin Carpenter at kevincarpenter@hotmail.com or the West Virginia Film Office at phaynes@callwva.com.

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H. CONTACT INFO, DISCLAIMER, SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE

1. Questions, comments, ideas for Email Blasts? Send email to phaynes@callwva.com if you have ideas on topics you would like to see covered or if you have "news" you would like the West Virginia Film Office to consider publishing in a future Email Blast. Please note, however, that the West Virginia Film Office is the sole authority on which topics may appear in an Email Blast, and it is the sole right of the West Virginia Film Office to decline to publish a suggested topic, idea, or other news item. Questions and comments should be directed to Pamela Haynes, Director, West Virginia Film Office, 90 MacCorkle Avenue SW, South Charleston, WV 25303; 304-558-2200, ext. 382; phaynes@callwva.com; www.wvfilm.com.

2. The Email Blasts are compiled by the West Virginia Film Office for purposes of providing information and topics of interest to those who choose to subscribe. Information contained in the Email Blasts is sometimes predicated upon information gathered from a variety of sources; website links offered in the Email Blasts are not maintained by the West Virginia Film Office and it is not responsible for a website's content. The West Virginia Film Office, the West Virginia Bureau of Commerce, the West Virginia Division of Tourism, and the State of West Virginia expressly disclaim all responsibility and liability relating to the accuracy of certain information contained in the Email Blasts. The Email Blasts are provided as a complimentary service of the West Virginia Film Office and sent via Email usually every 3-4 weeks. Based on information available at the time of each Email Blast, category headings may change periodically.

3. To subscribe to the Email Blasts, send an email to phaynes@callwva.com with "add to email alerts" in the subject line. To unsubscribe to the Email Blasts, send an email to phaynes@callwva.com with "remove from email alerts" in the subject line. To obtain back issues of Email Blasts, send an email to phaynes@callwva.com.

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